Nature of the Spirit
by Nanaki
Summary: Twenty years after the events of the game, the children of Wu the Lotus Blossom and Empress Lian are about to embark on an epic adventure of their own, but there is much more going on here than meets the eye...
1. Enough Waiting

**Nature of the Spirit**

**Chapter 1: Enough Waiting**

By Nanaki

Spring

Wu the Lotus Blossom was edgy. Considering how calm and patient she normally was, it was easy enough to tell when she wasn't, especially for her son. She stood near to the edge of the deck at the front of her home in the Two Rivers school, peering up through the rain at the darkening clouds, frowning.

"I doubt that the flier's coming today," Her son, Tseng the Cloud Lotus, announced calmly from inside the house. He was trying to meditate, but his mother's pacing was distracting him. "There aren't many pilots who'd want to try to land here in the wind and rain, after dark." Tseng opened his eyes and uncrossed his legs, leaning back against the wall.

"True," Wu admitted, "but I'm friends with most of the pilots who would." A brief smile came to her face, before she went back to frowning at the clouds. Tseng couldn't help but smile as well. His mother might have been extremely humble about all of her powerful connections, but she did have them, and enjoyed it. "Besides," she turned back to him, "you're usually chomping at the bit to get to the Imperial City too. What's with the sudden bout of patience?"

Tseng just looked down at his folded hands for a second, before answering. "Actually, I don't think I'm going this year."

"What?" Wu was incredulous. "You realize that we're usually there for over five months, right?"

"I know." Now Tseng stood up, and walked out to the deck himself. "I'm not saying it'll be easy, and maybe I can come to visit once in a while, but..." Wu just stood there patiently, waiting for him to finish. "But I feel like the training's really coming along, and I want to keep working."

Now she turned back to watch the ripples the rain was making in the puddles outside. "Hmm... Well, you could always train at the Black Leopard school, you know." She said, but without much enthusiasm. She could tell his mind was already made up.

"I know," he sighed, "but I don't like the Black Leopard school. There's always a couple Closed Fist idiots trying to prove how strong they are, plus it's just too political in general." Tseng leaned on the deck railing, not particularly enjoying having to bad-mouth the school his mother taught at several months a year. "Besides, we could avoid this whole issue if you'd just get your own flier. And don't give me the speech again about how expensive they are. I KNOW the Empress would give you one for free, or get Kang to build you a special one from scratch." Looking back at his mother, he found a curious sort of smile on her face now.

He was more perceptive than she gave him credit for, Wu realized, though she really shouldn't be surprised. "Fine, I won't give you that speech again." She shrugged. "I'll just tell you the truth. Me not having a flier is part of an agreement I have with the Emperor..."

"What?" Tseng's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Why would the Emperor care if you have your own flier or not?"

"That's... something I'm not sure I should go into detail about yet." She admitted. "It's something that very few people know about, and not a conversation I'd particularly enjoy having with my son."

"Mom, c'mon!" He held his arms out. "I'm practically grown up now, and a lot of kids my age are on their own, or even married..." He got quiet at that thought. "Thanks for not forcing an arranged marriage on me, by the way."

Wu couldn't help but laugh at that. "You're welcome, but you might not be saying that if you'd seen some of the girls I'd turned down on your behalf."

Tseng raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh yeah? Well, even so, I don't want to get married until I'm twenty, at least."

"That's good to hear." Wu said simply, but something about the way she said it piqued Tseng's curiousity.

"Why, do you have someone in mind for that role?" He grinned.

"As a matter of fact, I do." She admitted.

"Any particular reason you haven't told me before now?" He asked.

"I want you two to meet and get together by your own free will, that's all." She sighed. "And I have a feeling that it probably won't ever happen, but I hope it will."

Tseng didn't know quite what to make of that. "Well... Do I know her?"

"Yes." Wu smiled.

"Do I know her WELL?" He pressed.

"Kind of." She replied.

"Could you be more ambiguous?"

"Yes!" She laughed.

Tseng couldn't help chuckling too. "Fine then. At least tell me this: Is she cute?"

Wu's smile broadened. "Unbelievably. Cute, beautiful, elegant, a little shy, and very kind."

Tseng shrugged. "Well, I can't ask for much more than that."

"Much more?" Wu put her hands on her hips. "What more do you want?"

Tseng scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well... That's a conversation I don't really want to have with my mom."

"Well, then we're even." She smiled. "Though you might find that conversation more enlightening than you think." Tseng gave her a quizzical look now. "Never mind. So you're sure you're not going?"

"Yeah." He said simply. "I know Kia Min's not you, but she's good enough to keep me on my toes, or flat on my back, now and then. Plus, if they keep to their usual schedule, Dawn Star and Dad should be coming through here in a few weeks. If I'm still here, they might stick around and give me some pointers."

"I'm sure they will." She smiled. Dusk was settling on the already dark clouds in earnest now, and junior students were starting to make their way around the school now, lighting lanterns. The already cool day was getting chilly, and Wu drew her traveling cloak tighter around her shoulders. No longer dressed in the movement-efficient and admittedly sexy outfit she had preferred when she was younger, right now she was wearing a fairly demure dress over a tight shirt and pair of loose fitting pants, in case she needed to take the dress off to fight. She was always ready to fight, no matter what the situation. Master Li had been a harsh lesson in not letting her guard down.

"Come on inside." Tseng put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm really pretty sure the flier's not coming today." The words had barely left his mouth when a roaring noise arrived over the sound of the rain, getting louder by the second. Tseng laughed a bit. "Hey, I'm pretty good at this!" He leaned over the deck railing, shouting at the sky. "I'm really pretty sure that carts full of silver and wine don't just fall out of the sky!!" He waited there several seconds, looking hopeful, then lowered his head. "Well, it was worth a shot."

"Hey, since when do you like wine?" Wu smiled softly. She ducked back into the house, and emerged a second later with a small bag of belongings. "Well Tseng, I guess this is goodbye for a while." She looked him up and down, knowing this was going to be the longest they'd ever been apart, by a long shot. He was dressed in his usual loosely tied vest and loose fitting pants, missing the usual shin guards that he wore while training in his preferred Legendary Strike style. His only concession to the weather was a long sleeved shirt made of light material, worn under the vest. His shoulder length black hair was tied back in a pony tail, so it wouldn't get in his way. Why he didn't just cut his hair, she didn't know, but who could fathom the mind of a teenager?

"For a while," he echoed, "but I bet this summer will fly by for both of us. Especially you."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

"Because even without knowing any details, it's clear that you've got a lover in the Imperial Palace." He grinned at her shocked expression. "Or is there another reason you sneak out of our room at night just about every night when we're there?"

"Why you devious little..." She just shook her head. "Well, I'm not saying yes, and I'm not saying no, but I'm especially not saying no. I'm just surprised you caught me. I'm damn good at sneaking out. Or in."

"Well, that means I will be too. I hope." He added. With that, the roar of the approaching flier stopped changing pitch, and they knew it was right overhead, coming down. Wu stepped forward and wrapped Tseng up in a hug. "Aw, Mom..."

"Tseng, you be good." She said, then stepped back. "Since we're going to be apart, there's something I want you to hold on to." She held her hand out, and pressed an essence gem into his palm.

Tseng looked down in amazement. "The Eye of the Dragon... I can't take this. This is the most powerful gem you have."

She nodded. "Which is why, if something does happen, I want you to have it. You'll need it more than I do."

"Your famous humility seems somewhat lessened of late." Tseng complained, but he held the gem tightly in his fist. "I promise I'll keep it safe." Then, the roar of the incoming flier built up until it was nearly deafening, and the one of a kind flier known as the Racing Hummingbird set down right in the middle of the school's sparring ring. There was only one pilot in the world who could pull that off.

"Come on, come on!" Kang's voice sounded very loud in the sudden silence left in the wake of the flier's landing. "I had to race a bolt of lightning to make it here, and I can't remember if I won or not! Plus, night's fast approaching, and even I can't see in the dark!"

"You can't?" Wu called out to him. "But you're a God, Kang! Surely you could see in the dark if you really wanted to!"

"No, it doesn't work that way!" He called back. "But I could INVENT something to see in the dark with! I'll call it... glasses! No, wait, they have those already. If I'm thinking of the right thing..." Kang's voice got quieter as he muttered to himself.

Wu put her hands on Tseng's shoulders. "Anyway, if something does happen, remember that I love you. And, always do what your heart tells you is right, no matter what."

"I love you too Mom. And I will." He nodded. Slowly, her arms slipped back to her sides, and she walked out into the rain. "Oh! And give my love to the royal family! Some more than others..."

A devious grin appeared on Wu's face as she climbed up into the Hummingbird. "I couldn't have said it better myself!" She called back. She'd scarcely gotten into her seat when Kang started the engine up again, and the flier disappeared into the clouds within seconds.

"What the heck does that mean?" Tseng wondered to himself. "And why all the talk about something happening?" He went back into the house, quietly sliding the door shut behind him. He sat down on his usual mat on the floor, slipping back into his meditative pose. With the rain drumming on the roof, it was easy to block out other distractions. However, one of his eyes lingered on the old longsword hanging on the wall. "Oh well, if something does happen, I'll be ready."

.

"I'm not the one sneaking in in the morning-"

"No, that's usually when you're sneaking out." - Anakin and Padme Skywalker, _Revenge of the Sith (Novel)_


	2. Coming of Age

**Nature of the Spirit**

**Chapter 2: Coming of Age**

By Nanaki

Late Summer

The morning of September 20th was going to dawn bright and clear. It was about a half hour before sunrise, and Princess Wei Ling was perched in a window sill in the viewing room at the very top of the Imperial Palace, as she often was this time of day. At over 10,000 feet elevation, it was never very warm up here at night, and by September, it was already getting close to freezing again. The Princess was wrapped up in a fur coat and very thick pants under her dress, and the wind was making her nose run, but the view was worth it. She could see for over a hundred miles in every direction, except for where fog huddled above the rivers, and where the mountains around Dirge rose up even higher than the palace.

She wasn't always up before sunrise, but when she was, she always came up here. It had the best view in the empire, and solitude was usually a sure thing, which was why she was surprised to hear someone else coming up the stone stairs. "Ah, I figured I'd find you up here." Empress Sun Lian appeared on the landing, decidedly not dressed for the cold. She shivered in her nightgown and tied the sash up tighter. "Especially on today of all days." She added, before yawning loudly.

Wei Ling regarded her mother with surprise. The Empress' hair was hanging down loose around her shoulders, and looked rather disheveled. Her eyes also looked bleary and a little bloodshot. "Mom, are you sure you should be up yet?" Wei Ling asked.

"I'm not, exactly." The Empress smiled. "I'll go back to bed soon, I just wanted some fresh air. Too much wine at the banquet last night. And I didn't get to sleep until around three in the morning, probably." She stretched, before sitting down on one of the comfortable padded benches close to Wei Ling.

"Three in the morning?" The Princess raised an eyebrow. "But didn't you say goodnight and head to your chambers a little after nine?"

The Empress' trademark devious grin appeared on her face now. "I might have gone to bed, but not to sleep." Wei Ling wore a very disquieting look on her face now. "What?"

"I can't believe you just said that out loud." Wei Ling said quietly. "I mean, everyone who's been in the palace more than a few days has their own theory about... Well, I mean..."

"That's one of the things I want to talk to you about." The Empress nodded. "There are a lot of things I want to tell you, but the first one is: Happy birthday!" She stood up to give her daughter a hug, and Wei Ling returned the embrace, but the puzzled look didn't leave her face. "You're legally a woman now, in the eyes of the law, and the most important thing about that is, if anything happens to me now, YOU'RE in charge. Not your father, not some other regent, but you."

Wei Ling frowned. "Well yeah, but you'll probably be around for another forty years, at least."

The Empress chuckled. "I hope so, but you're crazy if you think I'm going to be the active ruler that long! I'm planning on retiring at fifty five, maybe sixty at the latest. You need to start getting used to the idea of being the Empress."

The Princess gulped, looking worried. "Okay, but why tell me this right now?"

"Because being the ruler can mean big sacrifices." Lian answered bluntly. "Being the Empress means that you have to put the Empire before yourself. Before your own happiness, maybe even before your own life. I don't think my father ever understood that..." Her eyes had a far off look in them.

"I'm sure fighting against your family wasn't easy... But aside from that, what did you have to give up?" Wei Ling asked.

The Empress looked her straight in the eye. "The one thing I wanted most in the world." Despite the serious tone of her voice, a smile appeared on her face again. "Just like Wu's character in the play two nights ago. Was that incredible, or what?"

"Oh, it was one of her best performances ever!" Wei Ling agreed. "I might even say the best ever, except it was so sad! I was almost in tears during that final scene. But she's a fantastic actress, no doubt about it."

"She is," the Empress nodded, "but she's not quite as good as me."

"Huh? Mom, I don't remember you ever being in a play." The Princess frowned slightly.

"I haven't been." Lian nodded calmly. "I do my acting in real life."

Wei Ling waited for a few seconds of silence, before prodding. "Care to elaborate on that?"

"I will." The Empress was staring at a few cirrus clouds that were beginning to glow pink in the predawn light. "I'm just trying to think of the best way to say this. Okay, short and simple. We don't talk about it, but you have to have realized that I don't love your father, right?"

The Princess was a bit taken aback. "I suppose, but I'm pretty used to things being that way. It was a political marriage, right?"

Lian tilted her head to one side, thinking. "I guess you could say that. The simple truth of it was, if I hadn't married him, the Isles of Enlightenment would have invaded the Jade Empire, and thousands of my loyal soldiers would have been killed. In the end, that wasn't a price I was willing to pay."

"What on earth?" Wei Ling dropped out of the window sill, and sat down on the bench right across from her mother. "Why was he going to invade?"

"The Sprightly Stones." Lian sighed. "He wanted large amounts of them to build fortresses in his own country. At least, that was the reason he gave. I'm sure our large silver reserves and fertile farmland were attractive prizes too. He sent a proposal of marriage to me to put me off guard, more than anything else. He was reportedly very surprised when I accepted."

"And, based on what you said about giving up the one thing you wanted most, I take it you were in love with someone else at the time?" Wei Ling nodded.

"I was, and still am." The Empress smiled. "Fortunately, it was only for four years, and not permanently, but even so, I had to give up what I wanted the most. Having you didn't help matters, though you were definitely the biggest bonus I got out of marrying your father." She shook her head. "Anyway, the point is, if I had to do it over again, I would. All those thousands of people who would have died, they all have their own hopes, dreams, and loved ones. Compared with that, my single life doesn't mean anything. I'm telling you this because if a time ever comes when you have to give up something you love for the good of the kingdom, I expect you to do it. Just remember how many of the people revere you, even love you, and that will help you get through it."

"Okay mother. I will." Wei Ling replied nervously, before a smile returned to her face a moment later. "Feel like telling me who it was you were in love with this whole time? I'm thinking about it, and I really don't see any likely candidates who have regular access to you."

"I imagine it's because you're looking at the wrong candidates." The Empress replied evenly. "Unless you're even more like me than I thought... Never mind." She said, seeing Wei Ling's puzzled look. "If you want to know, I'll tell you. But I have to warn you, you might not see me quite the same way afterwards."

Wei Ling frowned for a second, then nodded. "Okay... Unless it's Xenin Sho, I still want to know."

"Xenin!" The Empress laughed. "By the dragon, no! Oh wow, this is going to be so much easier now! Besides, Xenin would have been twelve when I first became Empress, you know that. Anyway..." Lian took a deep breath, staring at her knees, before meeting her daughter's gaze again. "The one true love of my life is the Master of the Two Rivers School. Wu the Lotus Blossom." She said bluntly. Wei Ling had no immediate response, then her mouth slowly dropped open in astonishment. She tilted her head to the side and her brow furrowed, but she still didn't say anything. "If you're waiting for a punchline, there isn't one." The Empress finally said. "I'm dead serious."

"Wow." The Princess finally said. "That's just... I mean, wow!"

"Wow, what?" Lian raised an eyebrow now.

"I'm not sure." The Princess admitted. "Does Dad know?"

"Oh, sure he does." Lian nodded. "He always has. Why do you think Wu doesn't have her own flier, so she can zip over here whenever she wants to? And why do you think your father spends so little time in the palace when she is here?"

"Boy, that can't help your relationship." Wei Ling observed.

"The two of us never really had a relationship." The Empress replied. "If not for you, he'd just be some cranky warlord that I have to put up with at official functions. Besides, marrying him has turned out to be a great punishment for his attempted invasion. He has to watch me be with my one and only for five months a year, while he's got no one. No one that I know of anyway, and I know everything that's going on in my kingdom." The Princess looked a little sad now, and Lian realized she'd said more than she needed to. "Um, sorry honey. I know you love your father, and I'm glad you do."

Wei Ling shook her head. "No, don't apologize. It's good to know the truth, at long last." She was about to say something else, when they could hear footsteps on the stairs. Wei Ling was just starting to turn to look, thinking she could see someone out of the corner of her eye, when the sound of the footsteps disappeared. There was no one coming up the stairs. "What the...?" The Princess wondered. "I've never heard of this tower being haunted."

"It's not." Lian smiled. "Hey, it's okay!" She called out. "I told her everything, you can come out."

"Whew, that's a relief." Wu the Lotus Blossom appeared on the landing, seeming to have sprung up from nowhere. "Doing a spider climb while you're still a little drunk is not as fun as it sounds." Her hair was just as disheveled as the Empress', and her eyes were just as blurry. "Well, she doesn't seem too upset about it." Wu observed, and walked over to sit down next to Lian, a bit closer than an ordinary friend would have, Wei Ling noticed.

"What's to be upset about?" The Princess asked.

The Empress shrugged. "I don't know, some people seem to think it's a crime against nature. 'The love that dare not speak its name' and all that crap."

"Considering that you've both had kids, despite being... that way, I don't see how it could be a crime against nature." Wei Ling pointed out.

"Oh, that part's just a crime against religion." Wu deadpanned, and the Empress burst out laughing. "Depending on who you talk to, that is. I think if it was really that important, the Water Dragon might have said something in between giving infuriatingly vague warnings about Master Li."

"I don't think it's ever wrong to love someone." The Princess said softly. "Like most things in life, it's the HOW that's important." Both Lian and Wu just stared at her for several seconds, and Wei Ling began to think she'd said something wrong. "What?"

"By the dragon, Lian, she already has more wisdom than most people ever will." Wu said, grinning.

"Well, what do you expect?" The Empress turned to her. "She is MY daughter."

"Yeah, but you can't take credit for that part!" Wu laughed. Wei Ling was shocked. She'd never heard anyone talk to her mother that way.

"Just what are you implying?" Lian put her hands on her hips, clearly not upset in the least.

"If we're talking blinding intelligence or combat prowess, yeah, she got it from you. But wisdom has never been your strong point, Lian." Wu explained matter of factly.

"Oh, you're just asking for trouble now." Lian sounded smug.

"Hey, it's not necessarily a bad thing." Wu shrugged. "Master Li was a very wise man. He was also a sociopath who never once in his life cared about anyone but himself."

The Empress twisted around in her seat a bit to face Wu. "Well, it was a good recovery at the end, but I'm afraid I'm still going to have to do this."

"Wha-?" Wu's eyes widened as Lian's hands shot up towards her face, then settled along her jawline. "Augh! Your hands are like ice! How long have you been up here?"

"Maybe ten minutes. Maybe. What do you expect? It's freezing up here." The Empress folded her arms now, shivering.

"True enough. Could we maybe continue this conversation inside?"

"I said what I came up here to say." Lian shrugged. "Let's go back to sleep." Wu stifled a yawn and nodded, then started heading for the stairs.

"Sounds good to me. But if you stick your icy feet on my legs, woman, you're getting an elbow in the ribs. I don't care who you are." Wu said as she went down the stairs.

Lian smiled. "Oh, now how can I NOT, after hearing that?" She asked, then turned back to Wei Ling. "Actually, there is something I want to give you before the official flood of present begins." She reached under the bench she was sitting on, and came up with a traditional long sword in its scabbard. "I knew you'd be up here, so I stashed it ahead of time." Now, she held the sword out to Wei Ling, who took it gingerly. "This, is the Blade of the Broken Bough, supposedly the sword of the first ruling Empress. How it got to be in a magical chest in Dirge, I have no idea. I suppose it was the Water Dragon's way of helping me out. But any way you slice it, it's yours now."

Wei Ling removed it from the scabbard, and held it up to the early morning light. "I promise I'll keep it safe."

The Empress yawned again. "Well that's nice honey, but the main idea is that IT keeps YOU safe. I've made sure you know how to use a weapon like that. I'll leave it up to you to decide when and why." She stood up, and headed for the stairs too. "I'm going back to bed. See you this afternoon."

Wei Ling let the sword drop back into the scabbard, and a let a deep sigh out through her nose. "Well, that was quite a 'good morning'. I wonder what other surprises my sixteenth birthday has in store..."

.

When Wei Ling next saw her mother, meeting up before heading off to the official birthday celebration, she was looking much more elegant. The Empress and Wu were both wearing intricate floral patterned dresses, hair restrained but still flowing down to the small of the back. Wei Ling was dressed much the same way, but knew she wouldn't look as grown up, since she was still several inches shorter than either of them. At least the tailors had been able to get her dress' shade of green to match the color of her eyes. "Feeling better now?" She asked discreetly as they headed toward the main path from the living quarters to the throne room.

"Much." Empress Lian smiled. "Truth be told, I could have used a little more sleep, but ten hours will have to do."

"Well, maybe you could get to sleep a little EARLIER tonight." The Princess suggested.

"Oh, how in the world did I give birth to a morning person?" The Empress groaned.

"That part must be entirely Meloku's fault." Wu smiled.

"A LOT of things are entirely Meloku's fault, but that's not one of them." Lian replied. "She's just a decidedly unique person." She smiled now. They walked in silence the rest of the way, surprised to not run into any party guests on the way. Anybody who was anybody would be making an appearance at some point today, trying to curry imperial favor with an impressive gift.

As they approached the large open hall below the throne room, they were surprised to see it swarming with guards, apparently listening to someone who was speaking. "There can be absolutely no mistakes on this." The voice of the Emperor's captain of the guard and right hand man, Xenin Sho, reached their ears. "I don't need to tell you what will happen if we- Highnesses! Good afternoon!" Xenin's face went from shock, to anger, to that simpering false smile he used around the Empress, all in the space of about a second.

"Good afternoon, Xenin." Lian said flatly. "Is there a reason so many guards are gathered here now? Seems like an inopportune time for training exercises." Looking around, she saw that most of the gathered guards appeared very nervous, looking away as soon as she made eye contact. She knew most of the faces, so they weren't new. Lian hadn't felt uneasy in the throne room for twenty years, but right now, she did. Something was definitely up, and she was pretty sure she wasn't going to like it.

"Yes, All Highest." Xenin hurried over to her, bowing repeatedly. He never bothered to show that much respect. "I sent guards down to your chambers to make sure you were safe. Did they not arrive there?"

"We must have passed them on the way." Lian said quickly. "How about telling me why we might not be safe?" She glanced over at Wu and nodded, ever so slightly, eyes narrowed. Wu nodded back, then went back to scanning the guards.

"Well, implausible as it may sound, we've received information that indicates there are imposters trying to infiltrate the palace." Xenin replied, sounding calm, but his body language indicated that he was very nervous.

Lian suddenly had a pretty good idea of what was about to happen, and since Wei Ling was standing slightly behind her, the Empress made a very quick waving motion with her left hand. 'Get out of here, honey. Now.' Unfortunately, Wei Ling didn't see it, or else didn't understand. She wanted to turn and yell for the Princess to run, but she had a feeling she should try to buy as much time as possible. "Do we have an idea who these imposters are impersonating?"

A rather unpleasant smile appeared on Xenin's face, and several of the guards were waving at him to stop. Apparently, something about his plan was off, but he was going ahead anyway. Boy, did the Empress get tired of being right all the time. "Oddly enough, the imposters have chosen to double as yourself, Empress, as well as the Princess and Wu the Lotus Blossom." Lian could sense Wei Ling suddenly stiffen behind her. Good, at least none of them were going to be caught off guard. Some of the guards in the hall began circling around toward the entrance, to cut off their escape. Xenin came a few steps closer. "But then, I'm sure you already knew that, since you are they." Apparently, Xenin had expected the fighting to start at that moment, because he backflipped away, even though no one else had moved.

Instead of a sudden dash toward the door, Wu calmly began walking toward the guards. "Xenin, you are one dumb son of a bitch, trying this while I'M here. But, at least you've got guts, I'll give you that much."

Xenin snorted. "Apparently you haven't done the math. You're vastly outnumbered here."

Wu looked away from him, and addressed the assembled guards. "Anyone who wants to see another sunrise would do well to leave right now." She waited a beat, and no one moved. "What fools. Maybe you think that you'll live through this because I'm a strong believer in the Way of the Open Palm. But for trying to assassinate the one I love, I'll kill you all!!" While her shout was still ringing in the air, she slipped into a chi speed burst, and had momentarily taken over twenty of the guards out of action with her Storm Dragon style before they could even draw their weapons. Even as most of them were still turning to face her, the energy claws of her favored Leaping Tiger style appeared and proceeded to whirl around the room in a dervish of destruction.

Xenin was torn for a second. He wanted to accomplish his mission as soon as possible, then worry about Wu later. But he realized that even with as many guards as he'd gathered, they weren't going to buy him much time. Reluctantly, he jumped into a chi speed burst of his own, and charged straight at Wu.

She trapped his slashing sword blade in between her claws of energy, and glared right at him, not flinching. "Well, it's been quite a while since I fought someone who knew the value of focusing on speed."

"I've been wanting to kill you for a very long time." Xenin grinned.

Wu looked like she had something else to say, but she had to twirl out of the stalemate to deal with the guards swarming around her. She sent the nearest ones flying with a foot sweep, then sent another flying across the room in many bloody pieces with a harmonic combo. That caused the rest to hesitate for a bit. In the split second she had to look around, Wu saw the the Empress had already managed to appropriate a sword from one of the foolish guards, and was causing her fair share of damage. The Princess was managing to defend herself, but her movements were shaky, and it was clear that she was very scared. Not that Wu blamed her in the least. Being attacked in your own home was very unsettling, as she knew all too well.

Then she sent one man who closed in flying with a palm to the jaw, then grabbed another to block another sword slash from Xenin. Wu had hoped that the sword would get stuck in the newly dead man's armor, but no such luck. Xenin charged at her with a blindingly quick series of slashes, and she let him back her up into the very center of the room. "All right, that's enough of this." Wu said calmly, and brought her hands together, her fingers forming the sign for a transformation spell. "Jade Golem!!"

"Oh shit." Xenin quickly backed away as the blinding flash of the transformation faded to reveal a hulking figure of stone, almost twenty five feet tall. Wasting no time, the golem immediately swung down with an ax, right at Xenin's head. He blocked with the flat of his blade, both hands on it, and was subsequently hurled back into the wall, where he crumpled down to the floor.

"Great work!" The Empress called over the din of crashing steel. "Now get my daughter out of here, right now!"

The room took on an eerie yellowish glow, then Wu again stood where the golem had been. "What are you talking about?!" She demanded. Several of the guards charged in toward the Empress, weapons raised, and Wu charged forward with another speed boost, sending them all flying with a jumping roundhouse kick. The rest of the guards seemed to be trying to get into a unified line before advancing again.

"You heard me." Lian was looking around the hall, eyes narrowed. "I'll keep them busy here, you two get out, right now!"

"I should be the one to stay!" Wu protested. "You two go!"

The Empress shook her head quickly. "Both of you matter to me more than my own life, but my number one priority is making sure my daughter is safe. As long as she's alive, it doesn't matter what happens to me! Go!!" She charged toward the advancing guards and broke through their line easily, sword dancing through the air many times per second.

Wu looked back the way they had come in, and saw that reinforcements were starting to charge down the hallway, weapons raised. They didn't have much time. She took hold of Wei Ling's arm and started heading up toward the throne. "Are you making that an order?!" She called out.

"You better believe it!" The Empress cried. "Get her away, then get back here and -ugh!- bail me out!"

"Okay!" Wu and the Princess took off in a mad dash toward the throne. Wu had to knock a few guards aside, but there weren't many in the way. Apparently they weren't privy to a very handy secret that she was about to make use of. When they reached the top landing, Wu pressed down on the ornamental dragon head on the throne's right arm, and it quickly slid forward, revealing an opening in the outside wall. She ushered the Princess out, then grabbed a handle on the rear of the throne and slid it back into place.

"Where are we going?" Wei Ling gasped breathlessly, more due to the adrenaline than because she was tired, Wu was sure.

"Flier platform." Wu pointed toward an external platform a few hundred feet away. They sprinted along the heavy stone walkways, eyes scanning for guards the whole time. There were none, except for two watching over the fliers on the platform, and their puzzled expressions as the ladies came running up told Wu that they weren't in on the plan. That Xenin really wasn't all that bright. But then, logic dictated that Xenin couldn't be the mastermind of the plan anyway. Wu still kept a watchful eye on the guards as she slowed to a walk. "Sorry to burst in unannounced, but the Princess will be taking a flier out, right away." She lowered her voice as she turned to Wei Ling. "I assume you know how to fly one of these."

"In theory, yes." The Princess nodded. "But I've never flown one by myself before."

"In theory's good enough." Wu smiled, gesturing for her to get into a model based on the Marvelous Dragonfly. "I'm pretty sure your mother wanted me to go with you, but if I do, the odds are, she's gonna die."

"What?!" The guards crowded close. "The Empress is in danger?!"

Wu ignored them. "Go to Two Rivers and find Tseng. Then the two of you vanish into the wilderness for about a week. By then, we should have this all sewn up!" She clapped the side of the flier as Wei Ling climbed into the pilot's seat, then turned and sprinted back toward the throne room far faster than any human should have been able to run.

Wei Ling flipped the switches and pulled the levers to start up the flier automatically, without really paying attention. She was momentarily torn between flying right back into the throne room or getting away, but with Wu there, the situation shouldn't get too desperate. As the flier lifted off, she turned it so it was pointing toward the southwest, then pulled the lever for the main engine and blasted off.

'Just hide out in the woods for a week? Is that the best plan we can come up with?' She wondered to herself. 'I guess Wu didn't have a whole lot of time to think.' She realized. 'Well, I'll just see if I can improve on it somewhat...' She began running over options in her mind, glad to have something to keep her occupied during the three hour flight to Two Rivers. "Well, there's a story for the grandkids." She remarked to herself. "What did I get on my sixteenth birthday? Oh, an assassination attempt. It was SO much fun..."

.

"This looks like a personal dispute. But if the dog needs to die, so be it." - Sagacious Zu, _Jade Empire_


	3. Fight and Flight

**Nature of the Spirit**

**Chapter 3: Fight and Flight**

By Nanaki

Tseng was in the orchards in the hills behind Two Rivers, propped in a high tree branch, gazing into the distance. Though his eyes were open, he was basically meditating, and he'd barely moved in the last two hours. The bruises helped to keep him still as well. Yesterday, he'd taken on the entire student body at once, and he was still feeling the effects today. He'd won though, he reminded himself, grinning. He was already more than qualified for a post in the Imperial Army, but that wasn't what he was training for. He trained for what his mother had trained for: destiny. His mother's destiny though, had been forcibly imposed by Sun Li. His own destiny was still unclear.

Logic indicated that the kingdom didn't need another hero. Things had been very peaceful for the last twenty years, and he occasionally felt guilty for wishing that there was a great battle for him to fight. But he did wish it, all the same. To have the power to change the world, all by yourself... It was surely an intoxicating feeling.

'Intoxicating is indeed the word for it.' A voice seemed to come from everywhere, and nowhere.

Tseng's eyes opened wider, but otherwise, he made no move. The colors all around him seemed to have greatly increased in intensity, even the grey clouds that would probably bring rain later in the day. Floating in front of him, hovering over thirty feet in the air, was an apparition that appeared to be a girl no more than four years old. Her hair and skin were both tinted blue, and her fingers ended in dark blue points. Though she had never communicated with him before, there was no doubt in Tseng's mind that this was the Water Dragon, goddess of life and death.

'This is a great honor.' Tseng merely thought in return, knowing the goddess would be able to hear.

'Oh, I don't know about that.' The blue girl shrugged. 'It seems that I'm only ever the bearer of bad tidings to your family.'

'Be careful what you wish for, eh?' Tseng smiled.

'Or you just might get it.' The Water Dragon nodded. 'I come to warn you of a threat, not only to the kingdom, but to the natural order of the world.'

'That sounds unpleasantly serious.' Tseng's smile disappeared. 'Does my mother know about this already?'

'Your mother is in a place I can't reach.' The dragon's somber voice replied, and Tseng felt himself swallowing involuntarily. 'I don't mean death. Death is a place I know well. She is somewhere else entirely. It's true that I'm not what I used to be,' the blue girl pointed to herself, 'But my bond with your mother is very strong. The enemy's power obscures my sight, and for the enemy to be able to do that, it must come from the demon realm.'

'So, it's pretty much up to me then.' Despite the responsibility, and the danger, Tseng couldn't help feeling excited. Saving the world from demons! Hot damn! 'What do I do first?'

The blue girl smiled, and began to fade away. 'Judging from your reaction, I'd say: settle down. The rest will follow soon enough.' With that, the colors of the world returned to their normal hue, and Tseng blinked a few times.

"I'll do everything I can." Tseng promised, to himself as much as to the dragon. He scanned the horizon, but nothing looked different. Not feeling his bruises at all now, he climbed down from the tree and started heading back toward the school. Before he was even halfway there, the distinct sound of a flier a long way off reached him. It could be his mother coming back, but judging from what the dragon had said, that would doubtful. It could also just be someone passing through, but again, he doubted it.

.

Wei Ling really could have used someone else in the cockpit right then. She hadn't expected to get involved in a battle before she even arrived in Two Rivers, based on the assumption that no one outside the palace would be wanting to chase this particular flier. She was still going on that assumption, so the two fliers chasing her strongly suggested that the conspirators had been able to send men out in pursuit of her almost right away. It was not a good sign.

She was doing a fine job of evasion, if she did say so herself, but there was no way she could return fire unless she banked around to face them or did a loop and came down behind them. If she turned to face them, they had her outgunned, and were almost certainly better shots anyway. If she tried to do a loop, the chances were pretty good that she'd end up plummeting straight toward the ground. Considering that she was going to be lucky if she managed to actually land instead of crash at Two Rivers, the loop was out.

She nudged the controls down gently as a stream of bullets passed just above the canopy, then jerked back up. Sure enough, the next volley passed harmlessly underneath her flier. The trouble was, the other flier was still firing above her. Several rounds tore through her right wing, and the flier began to dip on the right side. Even with the controls yanked all the way to the left, she still went into a slow spin to the right. Her spiraling descent made it relatively easy for the pursuers to get a bead on her, and more gunfire completely shredded her right wing, as well as the main body of the flier. Clearly, these men didn't care about taking her alive.

'What the hell is going on here?' She wondered for at least the hundredth time. Somehow, even as the ground came curving up to meet her, ever faster, she had plenty of time to think. She'd been mulling it over the whole flight, and in the end, there was only one person who could organize a coup like this and expect to get away with it. Especially given that Xenin had been in charge of the operation, the mastermind had to be her father. But why, she had no real idea. Power, maybe, but he was already the Emperor of TWO countries. How much more power did a man need? No, there had to be some other reason.

In the same instant that she realized the ground was uncomfortably close now, she saw a building she recognized from paintings as the Two Rivers school, and was surprised to realize that she'd made it. Almost, anyway. She braced for the impact as best she could, but even so, a few seconds later, the world went dark.

.

Consciousness returned slowly, which was probably for the best. Dull pain permeated her head and neck, plus her shoulders where the flight harness had dug into them. The harness had probably saved her life though. 'Okay, time to move.' She thought to herself, but her body made no response. 'Come on!' She yelled at herself, and managed to get the fingers of her right hand moving, slowly.

The sound of something scraping through the ground was followed by the tinkling of broken glass, and Wei Ling realized that someone was opening the left cockpit hatch. She decided to play dead for the moment, hoping that she'd be more able to fight by the time they actually tried to drag her out of the cockpit. If they bothered, that was. "Well, I didn't expect this." The voice of whoever it was reached her ears. "When destiny decides to get started, it doesn't fool around." Then, slightly louder. "Princess, can you hear me?"

Wei Ling managed to open her eyes and turn her head slightly to the left. The sharp pain that she had expected to accompany this action didn't arrive, which was a relief. "Tseng the Cloud Lotus. It's been a while." She stated the obvious. It had been almost a year since she'd seen him now, and he'd gotten a bit taller. It was obvious that he'd been training hard this whole time as well, unlike some people in the palace who tended to slack off during the summer months, herself included.

"Princess Katsumoto Wei Ling. What have you gotten yourself into?" Tseng smiled. He stepped into the cockpit beside the pilot's seat and began to gently run his hands along her left arm and shoulder, feeling for injuries. She finally lifted her head and blinked a few times. "Hey, don't move too fast. If you're injured, you might make it worse."

"I don't think anything's broken." She said. "Which is a miracle in itself."

Tseng nodded, then looked around at the mangled flier. "So how did you go from a formal function to crashing in my backyard?"

"It's probably a long story, and one I don't know much of." Wei Ling stretched her arms out, wincing. "But I can sum up in two words: coup attempt. Actually, I shouldn't even say 'attempt.' For all I know, it was successful."

"Hmm..." Tseng craned his neck to look outside the cockpit hatch. "Then these probably aren't your loyal bodyguards coming to rescue you."

Wei Ling looked up through the shattered glass and saw one of the fliers that had shot her down gently lowering itself into a landing not fifty feet away. The other was hovering over to a landing spot a little farther behind. "Ugh." She started to unstrap herself from the harness. "We really need to get out of here, right now."

"You just rest." He gestured for her to remain seated. "I'll handle this."

"I really don't know how many there are." She protested.

Tseng just grinned. "I said I'll handle it. That means I will." Coming from someone else, it might have sounded condescending, but from him, it was reassuring. "The Agile Dragonfly model can't hold more than eight and stay in the air, so that means sixteen tops. And if they were able to keep pace with yours, which was only carrying one person, they're probably not full."

The nearer flier had touched down, and four soldiers jumped out of the hatches, each brandishing a spear. "Loyal soldiers of the Empire, welcome to Two Rivers!" Tseng called out, walking forward calmly. "What can I do for you?"

"Stand aside, citizen." The captain, a bearded man in his mid-thirties, ordered calmly. "We're here to apprehend a criminal." He used his spear to point at Wei Ling.

"Criminal?" Tseng raised an eyebrow, and continued walking forward. The soldiers, trying to act tough, didn't stop walking to meet him until he was inside their spear range, exactly as he'd wanted. "Just what has the heir to the throne done to justify such lethal force in response?"

"Tseng the Cloud Lotus," the captain began, sounding exasperated, "don't be fooled. This girl is an imposter. She was involved in a coup attempt to assassinate the royal family and rule in their place. Your cooperation in this matter would be greatly appreciated."

"I'm always happy to help the truth be told." The smile remained on Tseng's face as he called back to the crashed flier. "Princess! Do you remember, that time when I was six and you were five, when we were playing hide and seek, and I had the brilliant idea to hide underneath that exterior balcony? Who was it that saved me?" Tseng only asked for the soldiers' benefit, on the off chance that they were loyal men who had been misinformed. He knew quite well that she was the genuine article. The remarkable emerald green of her eyes and the scent of her favorite perfume would have been enough to convince him even if he hadn't recognized the feel of her chi.

"It was my mother." The princess answered readily. "And I remember her entourage gasping as she dove into that sliding catch. It was unusual behavior for someone dressed in full royal regalia, I admit."

Tseng's smile didn't waver as he turned back to the soldiers. Now, four men from the second flier were jogging over to join their comrades. "Well, it seems you gentlemen are mistaken. If there is an imposter, she's not here." Tseng saw a few faces twitch at that, and knew that these men had to be involved with the plot.

The captain let out a sigh. "Tseng, believe me when I say, you'll be a lot happier if you just step aside, and forget this ever happened."

Tseng laughed. "Even if you know my name and background, it's obvious you don't know a thing about me." Now the second group of soldiers took up position just behind the first.

The captain just shook his head. "You are far too much your mother's son for your own good."

"Well, we finally agree on something." Tseng chuckled, but he dropped into a fighting crouch, right hand and foot pulled back.

The captain just nodded. "Kill him."

"Huagh!!" Tseng burst forward, slamming a knee into the captain's stomach and kicking him in the throat at the same time. As the captain staggered back, making a disturbing gurgling sound, Tseng jerked to the side, trapping the spear that had been meant for his kidney between his right arm and torso. "Hah!!" He slammed the heel of his left hand into the shaft, breaking the spear in two with a sudden burst of splinters. He grabbed the end of the next spear that came his way, just below the point, and separated it from its owner with a brutal jump kick.

He twirled the spear around, then used it to throw off the aim of the next two stabs coming at him, twisting the spear around further so that all three got tangled up together. As the soldiers were trying to bring their spears back up to a ready position, Tseng jumped up and managed to hit them both in the face with a midair split kick that Wei Ling was frankly amazed a guy could pull off. Sensing soldiers closing in behind him, Tseng slipped into a chi speed boost and kicked one of them into two others with a massive blow to the base of the spine, before they could even start turning to face him.

Now there were only two soldiers still standing, and one was unarmed. To their credit, they didn't hesitate for a second, but plunged right in. Tseng floored them both in just a few seconds with a furious series of kicks that hurt just to watch. As they skidded to a halt, the captain staggered back up, hurling a spear straight at Tseng's back. Tseng simply whirled around and kicked it out of the air. "Now would seem an appropriate time to surrender." He said as he quickly strode forward.

"You little fool!" The captain roared. "You have no idea who you're trying to fight here!"

"Trying? I would say I'm succeeding." Tseng answered with a smirk, because he suddenly had a pretty good idea of what was about to happen.

"Don't say I didn't warn you..." The captain growled, black flames suddenly engulfing his body. As his human form disappeared in the flames, the macabre visage of a horse demon drifted into view through the smoke, quickly followed by the rest of the skeletal form. "Now, cower in fear, puny mortal!" He bellowed. Tseng merely regarded him with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong? Are you paralyzed with fear? I wouldn't blame you. It's not every day that an enemy you thought defeated turns into a demon!" He laughed in a rasping voice.

Tseng shrugged. "No, the Water Dragon already told me what to expect."

"Then you must have come here prepared for your death!" The horse demon bellowed as he hurled a massive fireball at Tseng. Tseng backflipped out of its path, then charged forward. The demon pounded the ground, and sharp spikes of energy thrust up from the ground all around it, but Tseng simply jumped above them, nailing the demon with a roundhouse kick to the head that sent it staggering backward, then he backflipped away again.

"The surrender option is still open." Tseng grinned, for the moment ignoring the small fire that was starting to spread up his pant leg.

"Damn you!!" The horse demon roared with rage, the flames of its mane spreading up even higher, then it charged rapidly forward.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Tseng ran forward to meet it, and a furious flurry of blows were exchanged in just a few seconds. Then there was a sudden explosion of bone splinters, and the demon's right arm went flying away from its body.

"What?! What is this?!" The horse demon took an involuntary step backward. "How can this be happening? I'm a high class demon!"

Tseng walked calmly forward again, arms spread out, his hands taking on a dark blue glow. "I don't know who sent you goons..." The demon let another fireball fly, and it looked like it was going to connect, when Tseng simply disappeared. A blink of an eye later, he was high in the air, his fist poised to strike. As he started falling, he threw a brutal punch right between the eyes, and the horse demon's skull burst into many pieces. "But you are nowhere near ready to take on a Spirit Monk!" Tseng finished as the horse demon's body collapsed into a pile of bones, its firey mane disappearing, as did the fire on his own clothing.

As Tseng glanced around, he saw that those Imperial soldiers who had still been conscious had already fled the scene. Maybe they hadn't known ALL of their captain's secrets, or maybe they just knew when it was time to cut their losses. Tseng just stood there for a moment, letting his breathing slow, before calmly walking back to the Princess' crashed flier. He found Wei Ling looking at him with wide-eyed surprise. "What?"

"I'm suddenly finding myself with a renewed sense of hope, that's all." She allowed a small smile to appear on her face.

Tseng propped a foot up in the door frame, then turned back to regard the pile of horse demon bones. "It may take a while, but we'll find out who's behind this plot, and I'll take them down." Then, he smiled again. "If our mothers don't beat us to the punch, that is."

.

"But, I'm a fucking demon!" - Azrael, at the moment of his death, _Dogma_


End file.
